Amateur-built N2S-4 accident near Apex, North Carolina, April 20, 1997
On April 20, 1997 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built N2S-4, registered N61S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Apex, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's ostentatious display by performing an aerobatic maneuver with inadequate altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1997 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Apex, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built N2S-4
- Registration
- N61S · registry record · serial 75-3706
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the flight flying south to north over the lake at an altitude of about 30 feet. The aircraft climbed slightly to clear a bridge and then descended back to about 30 feet above the lake. The flight then entered into a loop from that altitude and prior to completion of the maneuver collided with the lake in a nose down attitude. The pilot had leg and hand injuries consistent with operating the aircraft at the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 987 hours in all; 917 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 921 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,514 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1996; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4WC Kennebec NC at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from RDU, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.